Attorneys gave closing arguments this week in the murder trial for Brian Charles Ruiz, a Santa Barbara man accused of shooting two people at a New Year’s party in 2018.

Ruiz, 36, has been charged with murder in the death of Jesus Reyes, 24, and attempted murder for allegedly shooting and injuring Tomas Arzate, who was 19 at the time.

The shootings happened around 3:30 a.m. Jan. 1, 2018, at and near Ruiz’s home on the 200 block of West Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

According to court testimony, Ruiz shot Arzate in the shoulder and the back of the head, which he survived, and shot Reyes in the left side.

Reyes fled the house and Ruiz followed. Video footage displayed by the prosecution shows one figure on the ground outside (Reyes) and another figure (Ruiz) running up and shooting him in the head, then running away.   

Reyes was found dead on the 1300 block of De la Vina Street, a few hundred feet from the home, according to police.

The trial started in April in Judge Pauline Maxwell’s courtroom of Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

In closing arguments this week, prosecutor Hans Almgren and defense attorney Adrian Galvan talked about the behavior of people at the party, and Ruiz’s mental state at the time of the shootings.

The prosecution is alleging the killings were deliberate and gang-motivated, and the defense is arguing that Ruiz acted in self-defense.

Almgren called Reyes’ death an execution. The first shot in the house went through his lungs and his heart, Almgren said. Reyes ran out of the home and got about 200 feet away, to De la Vina Street, before collapsing, he said.

“(Ruiz) reached down and put a bullet in his head while he was struggling for his life,” Almgren told the jury on Tuesday.

People had gathered at the house for a New Year’s party, gone to a bar and then back to the house that night, he said.

While there are different versions of what happened leading up to the shooting, Almgren argued that Reyes pushing Joel Campos, one of Ruiz’s friends, caused Ruiz to get his gun from his bedroom.

Ruiz shot the gun five times. He hit Arzate twice, Reyes once, missed once with a bullet that went into a neighbor’s bungalow and then shot Reyes again outside the home, Almgren said.

The gun was later found at the Westside Community Center with Ruiz’s DNA and fingerprints on it, he added.

The prosecution alleges Ruiz is an active participant of the Westside criminal street gang, and that the shootings were gang-motivated.

The prosecution played videos of Ruiz referencing the gang in rap songs, referenced past police contacts they say were associated with gang activity, and said he was arrested for bringing weapons in a backpack to a court gang injunction hearing.

On Wednesday, Galvan argued self-defense in the shootings, and said Reyes and Arzate were the aggressors at the party.

When testifying, Ruiz said Reyes attacked Campos, and Arzate pulled a knife, which led him to get the gun, Galvan said.

Ruiz had been stabbed twice, in 2004 and 2016, and that trauma informs his mental state, Galvan said. Galvan also talked about testimony that Ruiz has substance abuse disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

Galvan argued that the shooting was not a gang-related incident, and that the prosecution has not disproven Ruiz’s version of events.

“Brian is believable,” Galvan said. “Brian acted out of passion and provocation.”

A reasonable person would act the way Ruiz acted, from passion, if they were facing what he faced in his own home, Galvan argued.

“The evidence is overwhelming that this was a self-defense state of mind,” Galvan said, asking the jury to find Ruiz not guilty of first-degree or second-degree murder.

Santa Barbara police arrested Ruiz and other suspects in the shootings about two weeks after they happened.

Ruiz was arrested at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico.

During jury instructions, Maxwell noted that, if the jury concludes that the defendant fled, that can be considered as a sign of guilt, but that itself is not enough to find him guilty of the charges.

Ruiz remains in custody without bail at the Santa Barbara County Jail.

Joel Angel Campos and Adrian Ramon Campos were also arrested and charged in this case in 2018.

Joel Campos’ charges were dismissed in late 2021.

Adrian Campos’ case was consolidated with a 2017 assault case.

In September 2018, he pleaded no contest to assault and a gang enhancement, and pleaded no contest to accessory related to the Jan. 1, 2018, shooting. Other allegations were dismissed, according to court records.